For those who have arrived here from my 'other blog,' the origin of the name LB Handknits will be pretty obvious! But for those who have not, here is a quick explanation:

For the past 8 years I have been running a website called Lovely Bicycle! It is kind of a weird place, truth be told, and not really about mainstream cycling as such. Nonetheless as blogs go, it is fairly popular. And when you keep something like that going for as long as I have, it does tend to seem into other areas of your life and become a part of your identity.

The Lovely Bicycle blog was also how I first started out as a knitter for hire. It began when I offered to make hats for my readers in exchange for bicycle parts. This barter system worked out better than I could have hoped, and a few months later I had all the spare bike parts I needed. However, people continued to contact me with hat orders, then asking about whether I could knit other garments as well. And soon a freelance side project was born.

For a surprising number of us, riding a bike seems to go hand in hand with a love for wool, and knitting specifically. Getting around by bicycle in the damp, cold and windy environment that is northwestern Ireland has certainly influenced the direction of my designs, the choice of yarn I use, the technique I've developed. Without cycling and the specific challenges it poses, I doubt I would have reached my current level of proficiency and creativity as a knitter.

With cycling having played such a prominent role in my knitting forays, it made sense to keep the connection. And with that, I welcome you to LB Handknits, where the LB stands for Lovely Bicycle!